A.M. Links: Donald Trump, Julian Assange, and Russian Hacking

• 

  Gage Skidmore

  The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding hearings today on Russian hacking in the U.S. presidential election.

• "Just a year ago, they might have seemed the oddest of couples. But now President-elect Donald J. Trump and Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, have formed a united front against the conclusion of American intelligence agencies that Russian intelligence used hacked emails to interfere in the presidential election."
• President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly "working with top advisers on a plan that would restructure and pare back the nation's top spy agency."
• Former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj has been arrested in France on war crimes charges.
• Macy's plans to close 68 stores around the U.S. and eliminate over 10,000 jobs.
• President Barack Obama is under pressure to issue at least one more batch of pardons and commutations before leaving office this month.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding hearings today on Russian hacking in the U.S. presidential election.

THEY'LL TOTALLY GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Hello.

"Just a year ago, they might have seemed the oddest of couples. But now President-elect Donald J. Trump and Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, have formed a united front..."

"Rufus The Monocled|1.4.17 @ 9:06AM|#

Hello.

Obama just made Trump and Assange BFF."

Why am I always one day ahead of people?

[Citizen X]

Are you in that weird-ass Maritime Time Zone?

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

Canadia gets its news early?

[jack sprat]

Please share the lotto pick (privately)

[Citizen X]

Be aware that Rufus is Canuckistani, so any lottery winnings obtained thereby will be in weird money with colorful pictures of animals on it.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Zzjealous?

I think you're zzjealous.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

Subway tokens and tire store COOpuns.

[Citizen X]

Lifetime supply of Timbits and bags of milk.

[Rhywun]

COOpuns

Uh oh. I smell another pronunciation fight.

[Zeb]

Coo-pawns, darn it.

[Elspeth Flashman]

Doh-llar.

[Rhywun]

Doh-llar

Now, that's how you Canadian.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

A Tim Hortons "Buy ten get one free" card with three stamps?

[R C Dean]

Well, since the media is in a united front that the Russians hacked the election and installed Trump as President, it seems only fair that the rational opposition also form a "united front".

Geez, tendentious much?

[Sevo]

"Why am I always one day ahead of people?"

And six minutes behind Fist.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Canadian time machines always clog up because they run on poutine.

[juris imprudent]

Heya Fist, you plannin' on goin' to the PA Farm Show? I figure everyone in central PA must be going based on the local news.

[Fist of Etiquette]

While I do have a little bit of land in rural PA and I have chickens, I AM NO HICK. Plus, I'm more western than central PA.

[Mantis Toboggan, Jr.]

While I do have a little bit of land in rural PA and I have chickens

Way to doxx yourself, Fist. SIV will be there by noon.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I do all of this ironically, btw.

[Xavier T. Sexington]

I grew-up in Harrisburg. First job: Sweeping floors at the Farm Show. I didn't know what Rumspringa was, so seeing Amish teenagers pawing each other in every dark corner of the place was kind of mind-blowing. Also, the milk shakes are awesome.

[Citizen X]

+1 Devil's Playground

[Bee Tagger]

President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly "working with top advisers on a plan that would restructure and pare back the nation's top spy agency."

The top spy agency fighting back in ways only they know how will actually be quite fascinating.

[Conchfritters]

At least The Donald didn't tell the CIA that he is going to shatter them into 1,000 pieces. It didn't end so well for the last President to say that.

[Fist of Etiquette]

President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly "working with top advisers on a plan that would restructure and pare back the nation's top spy agency."

An odd place to reduce the size of government.

[Bee Tagger]

The oddest. You won't believe how odd it is. etc

[Jerryskids]

Fucking with the guys who stockpile black bags is a good way to reduce the headcount by one. Mysterious accidents aren't necessarily accidentally mysterious.

[OneOut]

+1 dead DNC worker.

It's almost like the email doc dump has to be blamed on someone/thing that can't be proved disproved .

[Bee Tagger]

The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding hearings today on Russian hacking in the U.S. presidential election.

Look out Russia, you might get censured!

[Juvenile Bluster]

The red line will be even redder this time.

[Swiss Servator]

John McCain will say stern words!!!!!

[straffinrun]

Then ship you a box of weapons.

[juris imprudent]

And show up for a photo op.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Macy's plans to close 68 stores around the U.S. and eliminate over 10,000 jobs.

The cost of that parade keeps moving them into the red.

[Rhywun]

Selling everything at retail doesn't seem to be helping either. "Sixty dollars for a T-shirt? Why not!"

[brokencycle]

When is anything sold at retail at Macy's? Seemingly every day they are having a "one day sale." Or the "lowest prices of the season" (season defined as 1/5/17 - 1/8/17).

[Rhywun]

I dunno, every time I visit? Admittedly it was only a couple times in the last year or so but I couldn't afford anything so I just went next door to Penny's or Kohl's. Macy's always seems snootier to me, too.

[Juice]

They have better clothes and the prices are good if you catch a sale, which is quite often.

[SimonD]

I'm a big guy (6'5" 240) so Macy's doesn't stock any clothes that fit me. If I want anything else Macy's sells, I can buy the exact same brand-name item for half the price at Meijer or Targer.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

I'm a big guy (6'5" 240)

Go on...

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

I stopped going to Macy's when I was in line at the cashier during the holiday shopping season (i.e. crowded), and the cashier was convincing people to get the Macy's credit card on the spot. Problem was, she had the customers fill out the forms right then and there, rather than asking them to step aside so she could help other customers. It took about 45 minutes for me to buy a fucking dress.

[Citizen X]

Macy's plans to close 68 stores around the U.S. and eliminate over 10,000 jobs.

Giant Garfield balloons hardest hit.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

Maybe they could save some money by not sponsoring that boring-ass parade every year

[BestUsedCarSales]

To cut costs they will have a Heathcliff float next year.

[Heroic Mulatto]

That's some cold shit.

[Lord Humungus]

Pictured: the average H 'n' R poster:

Semen syringe squirter arrested after reign of terror at US malls

A man suspected of squirting women with syringes of his semen in a number of Ohio malls has been arrested. Timothy Blake told police his bizarre crime was inspired by "the internet."

Following a two-month search, police finally caught Blake, 28, on December 30. He admitted to 12 instances of masturbating in shopping mall parking lots, all in Marietta city, and then filling syringes with his semen. He would then follow women around the malls before squirting them with the bodily fluid.

[Juvenile Bluster]

It's the prequel to SugarFree's Warty epic.

[Citizen X]

It's how Warty's parents met.

[Swiss Servator]

Nah, it's shriek's autobiography.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

It's how Shriek was conceived.

[straffinrun]

Hey, Baby. Get a load of this.

[Citizen X]

"Did a Navy ship just get in? 'Cause here comes some SEMEN!"

[Swiss Servator]

*narrows gaze at both*

[Rich]

"How are camels like Turkish ships?"

[straffinrun]

Neither can fit through the eye of needle?

[Rich]

Well, ... yes. 8-(

[WTF]

They both take on a lot of water?

[Jerryskids]

They're both four-legged mammals. Except for the Turkish ship.

[straffinrun]

*Tries again

Both have Attaturk's name on them?

[Trshmnstr, Grump Apprentice]

They both still have their foreskins?

[Zeb]

I prefer "why do they call camels the ships of the desert?".

[Pope Jimbo]

My guess is that this guy hopes that if he goes first, the target of his affection will be impressed and return the favor.

All he's asking for is a shot...

[BigT]

Like Hamilton, he's not throwing away his shot:

http://www.thewrap.com/snl-lin.....ot-parody/

In video, notice when he stops at Trump's picture (2:50). Some irony!

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Urp.

[straffinrun]

So not a typo where you forgot the "B"?

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Nope. That's the literal sound I make right before I boot.

[straffinrun]

Lol. That pic is too open for a bad put.

[Fist of Etiquette]

President Barack Obama is under pressure to issue at least one more batch of pardons and commutations before leaving office this month.

From the Clintons.

[Chip Woodier]

The Clintons can't apply their usual pressure, because suicides can't issue pardons.

[ant1sthenes]

I was going to point out that he has loved ones who may be suicidal, but as a raging narcissist, who knows?

[Lord Humungus]

Student Charged for Racist Snapchat Video That Sparked Fight: DA

Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli announced Tuesday the 14-year-old is charged with cyber harassment of a child and ethnic intimidation.

"Harassment, whether it's based on race or otherwise, is a crime," Morganelli said.

The 14-year-old student recorded a 16-year-old black student eating chicken wings at lunch and posted it on Snapchat, investigators say. In the video, the white student allegedly calls the black student the N-word and jokes that he was on welfare.

[Juvenile Bluster]

Kid needs to be slapped in the face and parents need to take the phone away... but "ethnic intimidation"? Really?

[AlmightyJB]

Yeah, that's a first amendment violation. Kid could use a good ass kicking, but not by the state.

[WTF]

I am certain if a black kid posted a video of a white kid eating sushi and called him a cracker and joked he had white privilege, he would also be charged with ethnic intimidation.

[Free Society]

It's black privilege to be the only person in any given room that can say whatever they want about race and racism. It's black privilege to be as openly racist as you want against white people and have not have any angry mob form that works to ruin your life.

[SugarFree]

"Why can't I call niggers "niggers" no more? Unfair!" [Free Society grumpy face]

[Free Society]

Oh so I'm wrong then? Care to make an argument or are you just being your usual insufferably douchebaggy self?

[SugarFree]

All I'm doing is translating you from whiny little bitch to English.

[Free Society]

Right, so you don't actually have any argument to make.

[SugarFree]

My argument is that you are a race-obsessed whiny little bitch.

[Free Society]

So an argument against the arguer, not against the argument. You're really not strengthening your position here, cosmo.

[SugarFree]

Cosmo? That's hilarious! Did you think that one up all by yourself?

[Free Society]

Calling you a "social justice warrior libertarian" just doesn't have the same ring to it. And since when did originality matter to insults? Are you the first person to ever call someone a "whiny little bitch", did you think that up on your own, cosmo?

[Trshmnstr, Grump Apprentice]

+1 "Progs are right about everything except for the size of government"

[Azathoth!!]

You know, Sugarfree, if this was it--

"Why can't I call niggers "niggers" no more? Unfair!"

...it wouldn't be a problem.

And, in fact, when it WAS that, the complaint largely fell on deaf ears.

But now, when, 'All lives matter' can get someone fired for racism, or when telling the black person calling for white genocide that they're being racist can get one cited for 'ethnic intimidation', you're being willfully blind and dickish on this.

[Heroic Mulatto]

white kid eating sushi

I think you mean "mayonnaise," bruh.

[Mantis Toboggan, Jr.]

Sushi dipped in mayonnaise, duh.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Fusion rolls are a culinary abomination that all of humanity should unite to destroy.

[Trshmnstr, Grump Apprentice]

This.

[WTF]

Okay, sushi with spicy mayonnaise.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Then that kid would deserve to be intimidated.

[Elspeth Flashman]

Makes me hungry for . . . sushi.

[Free Society]

ethnic intimidation

What the fuck is that?

[Zeb]

Being a dick should not be a crime. I don't see the intimidation part at all. They probably throw that in in the hope that it won't be seen as the egregious 1st amendment violation that it is.

[Free Society]

I thought that's what made it the egregious 1st amendment violation in the first place. I could see "intimidation" being a crime in the right sort of circumstance, but that falls more under the "threats of serious bodily harm" aspect of the law. Adding "ethnic" to the charge seems like a venture into wrongthink territory.

[Zeb]

My thinking is that "intimidation" suggests that it could be an actual assault and not simply expressing views that offend people. Of course this incident appears to in no way be an actual serious threat of harm.

[Free Society]

I agree. Their using the term "intimidation" to mean a particularly distasteful variety of insults.

[R C Dean]

In the video, the white student allegedly calls the black student the N-word

Does he or doesn't he? If only we had video . . . oh, wait.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Well, if the individual who used the slur is the same person behind the camera filming the video, then we wouldn't actually see him using it. As such, there is always the argument that it was somebody else off camera who sounds like him.

[Fist of Etiquette]

But now President-elect Donald J. Trump and Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, have formed a united front against the conclusion of American intelligence agencies that Russian intelligence used hacked emails to interfere in the presidential election.

Someone's credibility just shifted.

[Lord Humungus]

I'm on the dog's side:

Dog named Scarface attacks family for dressing it in sweater

Tampa police say the pit bull mix bit a 52-year-old woman who was trying to dress it Friday and her husband was attacked while trying to pull the dog off her. Police say the couple's 22-year-old son was attacked while trying to stop the dog by stabbing it in the neck and head.

The three people escaped the house and left the dog in the backyard. They ended up in the hospital.

Police say animal control officers shot it with a tranquilizer gun, but it managed to get back into the house where two children were. Police used a bean bag gun and stun gun on Scarface before catching it.

[Juvenile Bluster]

Also: This is a proven dangerous dog and the animal control officers were able to subdue it without killing it. As opposed to regular officers, who shoot dogs in the head for... well, sexual release, probably.

[AlmightyJB]

I have to take the dog's side here.

[straffinrun]

Absolutely.

[WTF]

The sad thing is that the dog likely warned them early and repeatedly in the process, and they just ignored it and pushed on until the dog finally freaked out.

[Jerryskids]

Kinda like the bit in "A Christmas Story" where the mother makes Ralphie put on the fuzzy pink bunny pajamas his aunt made and later that night Ralphie sneaks into his parents bedroom and shoots their eyes out with his brand-new official Red Ryder carbine action 200-shot range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time.

[Free Society]

Police say animal control officers shot it with a tranquilizer gun, but it managed to get back into the house where two children were. Police used a bean bag gun and stun gun on Scarface before catching it.

These cops are going to get fired. If it has four legs and a family that loves it, you're supposed to shoot it without hesitation. Then again, the dog probably was allowed to live because the family would no longer be grief stricken to see it shot to death.

[Free Society]

Police say animal control officers shot it with a tranquilizer gun, but it managed to get back into the house where two children were. Police used a bean bag gun and stun gun on Scarface before catching it.

These cops are going to get fired. If it has four legs and a family that loves it, you're supposed to shoot it without hesitation. Then again, the dog probably was allowed to live because the family would no longer be grief stricken to see it shot to death.

[Rasilio]

No see, if they shot this dog they wouldn't be able to rake the family over the coals with a trial and it's eventual euthanization

[Zeb]

That's why they are animal control and not real cops. They just don't have the killer instinct you need to be a hero in blue.

[Lord Humungus]

Chinese Media Say 'Big Sticks' Await Trump If He Seeks Trade War

"There are flowers around the gate of China's Ministry of Commerce, but there are also big sticks hidden inside the door -- they both await Americans," the Communist Party's Global Times newspaper wrote in an editorial Thursday in response to Trump's plans to nominate lawyer Robert Lighthizer, who has criticized Beijing's trade practices, as U.S. trade representative.

The latest salvo from state-run outlets followed others last month aimed at Peter Navarro, a University of California at Irvine economics professor and critic of China's trade practices whom Trump last month named to head a newly formed White House National Trade Council. Those picks plus billionaire Wilbur Ross, the nominee for commerce secretary, will form an "iron curtain" of protectionism in Trump's economic and trade team, the paper wrote.

[Swiss Servator]

They really are going back to 1960s-1970s style Chicom-speake, aren't they?

[WTF]

I'm not sure openly threatening Trump is the most productive way to go.

[PurityDiluting]

yeah, he's reacts so totally chill whenever somebody tries to get him riled up.

[Rufus The Monocled]

China 'owning America' is a bit overblown. American can inflict faaaarrrrr more damage than they can on America. Bring it on. I wouldn't worry too much about their tough talk. Give me an innovative and agile free market society over a closed, sterile, commie one ANY FUCKEN DAY.

[Citizen X]

If you owe the bank $5 million, that's your problem.
If you owe the bank $5 trillion, that's the bank's problem.

Anyway, if you find one of those free market societies around, let me know.

[juris imprudent]

Hong Kong..... bwahahahaha

[Citizen X]

The Brits and the Chinese teamed up to take down Kowloon, homie.

[juris imprudent]

Which is why I was laughing.

[straffinrun]

Which market is which?

[BigT]

"There are flowers around the gate of China's Ministry of Commerce, but there are also big sticks hidden inside the door"

Channeling their inner TR!

TR relevant again!

[WTF]

The problem being that America has much bigger sticks than the Chinese do.

[Trshmnstr, Grump Apprentice]

*points swiss to this comment for eye scrunching*

[Swiss Servator]

*narrows gaze*

[Lord Humungus]

The Russian Hacking Story Changes Again

The committee's session is the first in a series aimed at investigating purported Russian cyber-attacks against U.S. interests and developing defenses sturdy enough to blunt future intrusions. "We will obviously be talking about the hacking, but the main thing is the whole issue of cybersecurity," the committee's Republican chairman, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, said ahead of the hearing. "Right now we have no policy, no strategy to counter cyberattacks."

More importantly, however, the hearing comes hours after Reuters reported overnight that U.S. intelligence agencies obtained what they considered to be conclusive evidence after the November election that Russia provided hacked material from the Democratic National Committee to WikiLeaks. However, in the latest change of the narrative, this time the allegation is that Russia provided the hacked data through a third party, three U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

Wikieaks was quick to highlight that according to the report, US officials admitted that the Wikileaks "source" was not Russia, and that the goal posts now shifted to the source's source:

[straffinrun]

Own Gooooooooal.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

I keep being told that this evidence is "conclusive," but no one ever seems to bother saying what it is....

[PurityDiluting]

echo chambers come with their own evidence

[OneOut]

My uncle's cousin on his mother's side said a guy at work told her it's definately true that someone told a reporter that he worked for the CIA but it was deep super agent stuff and he couldnt give his name but it's all true.

[Lord Humungus]

+1 I know this guy who knows this guy

[Citizen X]

But did he make $9287 last week working on Google?

[CPRM]

The CIA has the same sources as Ant-Man

[Swiss Servator]

PHAKE NEWZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

RUSHA HAKKKED TEH ELECTION!!!1!!1111!!! TRUMPUTIN!!!!!1111!!!!11! HERPADERP

[thrakkorzog]

It's Russians all the way down.

[Lord Humungus]

Chinese cruise ship 'stuck at sea for two days in smog'

A passenger was quoted as saying that the ship was scheduled to return on New Year's Eve after travelling to South Korea and Japan.

But she was told by the crew that the ship could not dock as visibility was severely compromised by the smog.

She said the passengers had been unsure how long they would be stuck at sea but were grateful there was plenty of entertainment on board to kill time.

"Unlike passengers who are stuck at some public facilities like an airport, we got to use the pool and the gym to keep ourselves busy," she said.

[straffinrun]

Had seamen in her eyes?

[Swiss Servator]

No, no! That is at Ohio shopping malls!

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

Condescending celebrities release new pedantic video in which they repeat each other and finish each other's sentences.

Third time's a charm, I guess?

[WTF]

The failure of the first two videos means they just have to prog harder.

[Free Society]

INCREASE THE PROG!

[OneOut]

But Captian, she's gonna blow.

[Free Society]

MAXIMUM PROG I SAY! It's the only chance we've got damn it.

[Citizen X]

"I've given 'er all i got, Cap'n! She cannae prog any harder!"

[PurityDiluting]

We haven't got enough dilithium crystals to prog harder. The Chinese are hoarding them

[Rufus The Monocled]

The 'finish each other sentences' style is rather unimaginative and lazy at this point; to say nothing of annoying.

[EDG reppin LBC]

...say nothing of annoying. When did this stupid style of commercial/psa start? I'm thinking it was the '90's? Some MTV "Rock the Vote" commercial?

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

...MTV "Rock the Vote" commercial. Where the youth were inspired to make their voices heard!

[PBR Streetgang]

....make their voices heard!

[R C Dean]

Ima say that's one of them euphemisms.

[Rufus The Monocled]

NBC with 'The more you know' in the 1980s?

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

(pssst! Rufus! You're doing it wrong!)

[Rufus The Monocled]

It didn't come in the form of a 'rainbow' so I don't understand.

[Troy muy grande boner]

It allows these smug cocksuckers maximumal virtue signaling with the least amount of investment. Fuck them. Didnt some of these talantless pricks promise to move the fuck away? Have any of them done it?

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

This was released from their secret bunker in Canuckistan.

[Red Rocks Dickin Bimbos]

It's a testament to how far up their own ass these people are that they actually believe this will make a difference to anyone other than their own social circles.

[commodious just wasting time]

I'd imagine that's the only difference they care to make.

[BigT]

It's group virtue signaling, tribalism enforcement.

[Ceci n'est pas un woodchipper]

Everybody who gives a shit about their opinion is in the commercial.

[Rhywun]

Not a chance in hell I'd watch that but a couple names stand out for me.

Bruce Ratner - Billionaire Atlantic Yards crony is afraid of getting excluded from his next sweet deal?

Steve Buscemi - ugh, say it ain't so.

[Lord Humungus]

Queen Elizabeth II Was Once Almost Shot By One Of Her Own Guards

Queen Elizabeth II was once nearly shot, it emerged this week. But the shooter wasn't a would-be assassin, it was one of her own guards, The Times reports.

Turns out the queen is prone to late-night strolls on palace grounds when she can't sleep, the British newspaper said Wednesday. During one such 3 a.m. walk, however, a guard thought she might be a prowler.

"Who's that?" he called out, according to the Times Diary.

"Bloody hell, your majesty, I nearly shot you," he said upon realizing his mistake.

"That's quite all right," she answered. "Next time I'll ring through beforehand so you don't have to shoot me."

[UnCivilServant]

As a person, QE2 always did seem to have good humor. Can you imagine the reaction of some other prominent people in the same circumstances?

[WTF]

Yeah, Queen Hillary used to treat the Secret Service like shit just because.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

I've always felt she has enough self-awareness to realize just how absurd her position as Queen really is. That and the fact that she did actually work in the Women's Auxiliary Service during WWII has probably kept her grounded.

[Hamster of Doom]

"What the fucking fuck! Don't talk to me. Someone shoot this man. And bring me lemon slices and the remote."

[Swiss Servator]

"TEA...And have someone print my emails and bring them to me"

[Lord Humungus]

ho-kay...

I love Victorian post-mortem photography and here's why you should give it a chance

The Victorian tradition of post-mortem photography pops up in the media on a regular basis, usually accompanied by an article about how weird or creepy it is to have pictures of dead people on show.

But I love these photographs, with their sepia tinted acknowledgement of death and loss, and wish more people would take the time to understand the motives behind them.

After coming across a post-mortem photograph on the internet by accident some years ago, I decided to find out why they existed and why people had taken them in the first place.

Rapidly becoming obsessed with the idea of 'death photos', I discovered that most of the images were just floating around on the net quite randomly.

[SIV]

The author of that piece is an idiot:

Although the copyright on images stay with the original photographer, it is almost always impossible to find out who really owns each picture.

[SugarFree]

Holy fuck.

[thrakkorzog]

Unless Walt Disney was the one taking the pictures, they should be in the public domain by now.

[SugarFree]

No matter who or what took it, if it was before 1923 it is in the public domain.

[Rich]

"Does your wife enjoy ... Victorian post-mortem photography?"

[WTF]

"Say no more!"

[BigT]

I read that as 'post mortem pornography.'

[PurityDiluting]

code blue!

[SugarFree]

Oh, look... another person who has never been to a funeral in the south.

Taking pictures of people in their coffins is no longer common, but isn't unheard of. My mother has made me swear since I was a child to give her a closed coffin funeral because it creeped her out as a child when people would take pictures of the deceased at services.

[Citizen X]

Your mother made me swear, too.

[SugarFree]

I said goddamn. Goddamn.

[Lord Humungus]

I was at my grandma's funeral in IL - 30 years ago* - and some distant relative of mine took a photo of her in the casket. I thought it was weird back then but no one said anything about it.

* holy shit I'm getting old

[Troy muy grande boner]

I can totally get thism. Phitagraphy is new and is a tangible way to save a slice of the deceased forever. Imagine that? Fir the firstime ever, you could take your deceased past death. If ciurse that is something humans woukd do.

[Citizen X]

Don't huff paint and comment, folks.

[Swiss Servator]

Wait....does that mean I should stop?

[Lord Humungus]

India's Cash Woes Are Just Beginning

"Give me 50 days, friends," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked citizens after he canceled 86 percent of the country's currency notes. After Dec. 30, if Indians saw his decision as flawed, he promised to "suffer any punishment." But, he said confidently, if they could bear 50 days of disruption, they would have the "India of their dreams."

It is now January. While Modi's deadline has passed, the pain hasn't. Indeed, it may just be beginning: Measured by the purchasing managers' index, or PMI, Indian manufacturing actually began to contract last month for the first time in all of 2016. This can't be blamed on sluggish global demand; the equivalent measure from China suggested that manufacturing there is expanding quicker than expected. Indian companies are suffering from supply-chain disruptions and customers with no cash in their wallets.

[Hamster of Doom]

Always, the astonishment. "It should have worked! Why isn't this working?"

[juris imprudent]

Same reason as last time - wreckers and kulaks.

[Jerryskids]

Obama told Democrats at a closed-door meeting that they shouldn't "rescue" Republicans by helping them replace Obamacare after they've dismantled it.

The whole fucked-up universal healthcare system is about to become "Trumpcare". The Dems are being told by their peerless leader to work hard and make sure it stays fucked-up, the Stupid Party are falling all over themselves clamoring for a big ol' bite of that shit sandwich.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Obama was in it for himself the whole time.

Why would anyone listen to him at this point?

15 days people. 15 days.

[WTF]

Obama turned the Democrat's "permanent majority" into a nation-wide disaster where Republicans hold all three branches of fedgov as well as the majority of state governorships and legislatures. Listening to Obama seems to be a recipe for defeat.

[Red Rocks Dickin Bimbos]

He honestly seems to believe that his election had everything to do with his ideas and nothing to do with his skin color.

[Rufus The Monocled]

I wonder about that sometimes. I can picture him alone in the office coming to the realization of 'people don't like my ideas!'

[BigT]

'10, '14, '16 ideas, '08, '12, skin color.

[WTF]

Don't count on the Dems to learn that lesson, though. It looks as if they are trying to dethrone the Republicans as The Stupid Party.

[PurityDiluting]

Republicans won't give up that banner without a stern fight.
They'll only give it up when the Dems pry it from their cold, dead hands

[Swiss Servator]

Bum fight!

[Rich]

Obama Seized Enough Land and Water in 8 Years to Cover Texas Three Times

Now, *that* is "asset forfeiture"!

[Citizen X]

Christ, what an asshole.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Rich isn't that bad.

[WTF]

Trump should instruct the Department of the Interior to start selling it all off.

[ant1sthenes]

Or, go the other direction, declare sanctuary cities to be national parks and shut off all development.

[Swiss Servator]

That is.....sinister. Have you a newsletter?

[Lord Humungus]

The Fate of Dylann Roof

In USA Today, Melinda Henneberger warns that the decision on whether to give Charleston mass shooter Dylann Roof the death penalty "will say a lot more about who we are than it does about him."

Fine with me. I'm not really bothered by the statement "this country executes mass murderers."

She continues: "Questions raised by the case touch on a tangle of intractable issues ? race and rage, guns and mental illness, what constitutes terrorism and what we can do about self-radicalization on the Internet. Yet the racism that Roof spewed seems to have eclipsed all other considerations. As a result, many who generally agree with me that capital punishment is in all cases wrong are silent now. Or they're willing to make an exception when it's a deluded white supremacist like Roof on trial instead of a deluded Muslim terrorist like Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who has been sentenced to death in the Boston Marathon bombings. "

This is because a lot of self-identified death penalty opponents aren't really full-spectrum death penalty opponents.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Just lock him in a cell the rest of his life and make him watch BET.

[WTF]

Sorry, "cruel and unusual".

[Drake]

That would probably make him more racist.

[Rhywun]

a lot of self-identified death penalty opponents aren't really full-spectrum death penalty opponents

Oh piss off, NR. Another reason why I quit you.

[SIV]

President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly "working with top advisers on a plan that would restructure and pare back the nation's top spy agency.

As opposed to the "Johnson/Weld plan" of total surveillance

[PurityDiluting]

Johnson/Who?

[Lord Humungus]

Stein Final Recount Costs Below Estimates; Will Receive $2 Million Refund

Green Party nominee Jill Stein will receive $2 million in refunds after initial estimates were well above the final costs of the failed presidential recount attempts in three battleground states, according to officials.

Stein will use the leftover funds to launch a new voter integrity group.

Stein, who pushed for recounts in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, was only successful in initiating a recount in Wisconsin, an effort that ultimately netted 131 more votes for President-elect Donald Trump. Federal courts in Pennsylvania and Michigan halted Stein's attempted recounts in the states.

[Citizen X]

I used to think Dr. Stein wasn't all that smart, but damn if she didn't come up with a hell of a scam.

[Rufus The Monocled]

I was gonna say this. She figured out a way to steal some coin.

Socialists are master thieves.

[Citizen X]

But she's using the funds to launch a "voter integrity group," whatever that is, on behalf of the people! It's just a coincidence that she will end up earning a salary from said group, and totally not planned at all!

[Rufus The Monocled]

Classic textbook example of a parasite.

[Citizen X]

At least she only robbed her fellow travelers instead of every taxpayer.

[BigT]

But she's using the funds to launch a "voter integrity group,"

Maybe they'll require picture ID's at the polls?

Hahahahahahahaha!!!

[Rich]

Stein will use the leftover funds to launch a new voter integrity group

, whatever TF *that* is.

[WTF]

Also known as a "slush fund".

[commodious just wasting time]

Small potatoes relative to the Clintons' operation. I wonder what their donation income look like these days.

[WTF]

I bet it's down at least 75%.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

was only successful in initiating a recount in Wisconsin, an effort that ultimately netted 131 more votes for President-elect Donald Trump

That never gets old.

[WTF]

It also revealed evidence of voting fraud in Detroit, which adds to the hilarity.

[PurityDiluting]

"That never gets old."
Nor do the results of the call for faithless electors

[Free Society]

"Just a year ago, they might have seemed the oddest of couples. But now President-elect Donald J. Trump and Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, have formed a united front against the conclusion of American intelligence agencies that Russian intelligence used hacked emails to interfere in the presidential election."

So please correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't that conclusion belong to anonymous unnamed sources said to be within those intelligence agencies? Does the NYT not understand the difference or perhaps, just maybe, they're misrepresenting the truth for some nefarious reason?

[John DeWitt]

No. The intelligence is settled.

[Free Society]

There's a consensus of anonymous unnamed sources that all agree on this. How can Donald Trump not get on-board with the undisputed fact that he stole the election? He must know it's true.

[Pope Jimbo]

Uffda! One of those Macey's that will be closing is the original Dayton's store in downtown Minneapolis.

Any true Minnesodan (of a certain age) will recognize Dayton's as the premiere department store of our state. As much of a fond spot in my heart I have for the department store, it wasn't all good. The loot that the elder Dayton's amassed was used by their idiot son to become governor of our state.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Don't think I ever visited that one. In fact, I don't think I was ever in Minneapolis when I lived in MN.

My Ma was partial to Higbees from Cleveland (the same one that was in A Christmas Story).

[EDG reppin LBC]

The same one where the weepy-eyed actor from "Roll Bounce" saw his father murdered while waiting in line to sit on Santa's lap?

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Who? What?

[EDG reppin LBC]

Just googled. The actor is Terrence Howard. He was not in "Roll Bounce". His dad was not murdered. His dad was the murderer.

It's early in California, haven't had my coffee yet.

[EDG reppin LBC]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Line_Slaying

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Reading the Wikipedia entry on the incident...pretty interesting. All those witnesses, and no one can really say exactly what happened. At first I was thinking "self defense", but then it seems like the two men had been separated by the time the stabbing occurred.

I have pictures with the Higbees Santa from not too many years later (probably 1973 - 78 when we used to go to my Grandma's for Xmas).

[Timon 19]

Higbee's, a.k.a. Dillard's! The old Higbee's/Dillard's building in Cleveland is now a casino.

Department stores suck.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Is the Silver Grill still in the Terminal Tower? I loved eating there and getting my cardboard oven to play with. My Ma said when she was a kind they had metal ovens to play with (though you couldn't take those home)

[EDG reppin LBC]

Ahhhh. Memories of Christmas in the Western Reserve. You're making me sentimental.

[Timon 19]

Huh. Evidently, Ritz-Carlton brought it back to the Higbee Building and re-art-deco-ified it.

[Timon 19]

...except as a conference-room/event-space.

I'm guessing it's no longer a restaurant.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

*kid

Yeah, I have many happy memories of Christmas or Thanksgiving in Rocky River, Westlake and Cleveland.

[BigT]

Halles - gets no respect?

Mr. Jing-a-ling - is he forgotten, too?

[Rhywun]

Huh. Where I'm from (Rustbeltia) all the downtown department stores closed long ago. I remember them from the 80s and early 90s but by the late 90s it was all gone.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

The Boscov's in downtown Binghamton is gamely clinging to life. When I was there in the early 2000's it was a tacky, cheap, retro wonderland. We ate at the lunch counter and I bought a $3 hot pink onesie terrycloth shorts/tube top combo thing.

[Rhywun]

Rochester used to have a downtown Wegman's FFS. Now it's a big hole in the ground.

[Ken Shultz]

"President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly "working with top advisers on a plan that would restructure and pare back the nation's top spy agency."

Notice, Trump doesn't appear to be talking about the CIA in that comment. According to the story, "The move is prompted by [Trump's] belief that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has become bloated and politicized".

http://www.wsj.com/articles/la.....1483554450

No doubt, you can't spit in Washington DC without it landing on something that's become "bloated and politicized", but it really is awful if the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has become The Office of Noble Lies.

It's actually rather admirable if Trump does something like this and effectively crimps his own power. Isn't that what we libertarians want presidents to do?

The article does later talk about Trump's supposed plans to reorganize the CIA, but most of that appears to be common sense stuff.

[Crusty Juggler]

It's actually rather admirable if Trump does something like this and effectively crimps his own power.

And why would he do that?

[Ken Shultz]

He's talking about "restructuring and paring back" the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

He might do that for a number of reasons--the office being politicized against him, specifically, could be one reason.

[Crusty Juggler]

There is nothing in that article that states that Trump would do anything to reduce his power. Restructuring the DNI and CIA could potentially increase his power.

[Ken Shultz]

I was talking about this one instance.

No, I do not expect Trump to declaw himself, generally speaking.

In this one instance, however, going after this office for being bloated and politicized might deprive him of the opportunity to use those same resources to generate politicized intelligence assessments against his future competitors.

The point is that we should not be against Trump doing this.

We've been screaming about how politicized our intelligence services have become since the run up to the Iraq War, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has been a nice part of that.

How do you feel about James Clapper? Big fan?

You know, he's the current Director of National Intelligence. He's out of a job come inauguration.

http://tinyurl.com/j2wxqkz

[Crusty Juggler]

The point is that we should not be against Trump doing this.

I'm not sure who "we" is, but yes, go right ahead and reorganize every federal bureaucracy.

[WTF]

Clapper is also on record as having lied to congress.

[Free Society]

And why would he do that?

If elements in these agencies are working against him, if they've outed themselves as Democrat operatives and they have done both of those things, then Trump seems like the kind of guy that would take it personal and set about neutering those elements and their institutional power.

[Crusty Juggler]

Or, he is going to install his own people to help restructure the system in a way that he thinks will benefit both himself and the country. I still don't see where he is voluntarily giving up any power.

[Ken Shultz]

Then he wouldn't restructure; he'd keep things the way they are and appoint his own crony.

Whether he'll follow through is an open question, but restructuring that office is exactly what we want to happen.

Go down James Clapper's rap sheet.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R._Clapper

Politicized?

Yes!

[Free Society]

So it's inconceivable that a president would diminish the power of a government agency that actively works against him with disinformation? Okay then.

[Crusty Juggler]

He can reorganize and restructure and change leadership at every agency, but he not going to voluntarily give up his own power to do so. Why would he do that?

[Free Society]

Nick Gillespie told us it's not possible for Trump to do anything of the sort, so of course he won't. Inconceivable it is.

[Rasilio]

You are presuming he views that as a source of his own power.

He may judge that the agency is too uncontrollable for his purposes and would work against, not for his interests

[Free Society]

INCONCEIVABLE

[Crusty Juggler]

So then another agency, or agencies, take the place of the CIA. What is the difference?

[commodious just wasting time]

you can't spit in Washington DC without it landing on something that's become "bloated and politicized"

I'd make an Anthony Weiner joke, but that's more tumescent than bloated.

[Rich]

Anybody having squirrel trouble?

[Citizen X]

Yo.

[straffinrun]

Yes. It's like something was squirted in their faces.

[Citizen X]

Something something nuts

[Juvenile Bluster]

They must've gotten back in when the staff was taking all that time off over the holidays.

Plus Obama probably banned squirrel rifles or something.

[EDG reppin LBC]

The squirrels have been burying my nuts this morning.

[Ken Shultz]

I'm not having trouble with the squirrels today, but I did find an image of the squirrel's evil leader.

His name is Dread Lord Snarky.

http://tinyurl.com/jaf5k9l

[Pope Jimbo]

Local lefty columnists continues on with his theory that the media isn't to blame for Trump, it is you dumb readers.

The public had access ? easy access across all platforms and more access at less cost than ever before ? to the information it needed to exercise its franchise knowledgeably in November. Many media outlets, in print and on air, abandoned old norms that prohibited calling a politician a liar and his statements false. I never seen anything remotely like it, but I agree that it was the correct response to a candidate telling so many lies and refusing to stop telling them even after they had been clearly proven to be false.

If many members of the public preferred to get their "information" from Donald Trump's tweets, or from fake-news sites or from dishonest voices online or on the air, they had the right to do so. But they had a responsibility not to do so. Many of them exercised that right and neglected that responsibility.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

I agree that it was the correct response to a candidate telling so many lies and refusing to stop telling them even after they had been clearly proven to be false.

And no hint of irony, either.

[Pope Jimbo]

That is what makes his columns Post-Trump so wonderful. He absolutely thinks that Hillary was the perfect candidate and there is no way people would never vote for her.

[WTF]

And she totally wasn't a liar and had no scandals on her awesome resume of accomplishments!

[Free Society]

Those accomplishments weren't looked upon fondly either. People have had enough "smart power at it's best".

[PurityDiluting]

Per John Dickerson, Hillary gave an answer that is "not strictly speaking in accordance with the known facts", but she didn't lie.

[Pope Jimbo]

A great part of the story is the recommendation that The Media quits getting sucked into "fake news" stories by switching from accusation-driven reporting to evidence-based reporting.

The example used is some story (that I never heard of myself) about how Soros was behind the Trump protests. The idea being that they reported on the accusation even though there was no evidence to support it. Instead they should have led their reporting with the statement that there was no evidence to support the accusation.

Hmmm... What other -cough- Russia hacking -cough- examples could we find where this principle could be applied?

[WTF]

Weren't there some actual connections found between Soros-funded organizations and the protests? Or were those investigated and found to be untrue?

[R C Dean]

I recall the same thing. Soros quasi-stealth backs some real fringe organizations that do "political activism".

And since the election I recall him losing his shit over Trump being the end of civilization or somesuch.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

The example used is some story (that I never heard of myself) about how Soros was behind the Trump protests

Fake news. There is documented evidence that it was the DNC and Hillary. Likely the President himself was also aware, if not actively involved.

[WTF]

Well, one of the operatives in charge of the protests and violence visited the White House over 300 times, so Obama was likely much more than just "aware" of it.

[Juvenile Bluster]

3 NYPD officers beat man for daring to mouth off to them about a parking ticket

He got the full suite of "contempt of cop" charges laid on him as well:

Nunez was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration. He was released without bail.

[straffinrun]

The cops involved have not been disciplined but the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau is reviewing what happened, officials said.

It takes IA a while to add a laugh track to the video.

[Heroic Mulatto]

It takes IA a while to add a laugh track to the video.

Bullshit.

[straffinrun]

Timely done and well executed. I yield to your prowess.

[Pope Jimbo]

Fuck that. You can't compare HM - a private citizen - with a gubt. worker.

It is unfair to our public employees to expect them to be able to use easy and cheap tools to do their work. No, I'm sure the poor sots in IA have to use some software package that was purchased for umpteen millions of dollars and only works with IE 6 (and previous).

[Ken Shultz]

I'll add one other observation in regards to the left being aghast that Trump would openly criticize our intelligence services--how could he?!

Just like going after a candidate's family is beyond the pale, generally speaking, that ceases to be the case if and when a candidate turns his family into an election issue. If Candidate X says that he's better than Candidate Y because he's a better father and husband than Candidate Y, that opens the door to Candidate Y criticizing his opponent's parenting abilities and marriage as evidenced by the misbehavior of his family.

Likewise, a President Elect going after our intelligence services for being heavily politicized would usually be beyond the pale. The question is whether our intelligence services have tried to undermine the political legitimacy of Donald Trump's presidency--and the correct answer to that question appears to be "yes".

[Crusty Juggler]

Bobby Bowden: Boys without fathers wear earrings to be like their mommas

"During my last days at Florida State, 65 to 70 percent of my boys did not have a daddy at home," Bowden said. "They're raised by mommas. Thank God for them mommas, or grandmommas. Or big sister, or aunt. But where's the man?

"A boy needs a male figure, and the girls do, too. Somebody to discipline them and make them be a man. I used to kid about this, they grew up wanting to be like their momma. They want to be a man like their momma, that's why they wear earrings."

Is that an outrage? Oh yes, yes it is.

[Citizen X]

Pirates wore earrings too, Bobby. Maybe "your boys" want to be pirates.

[WTF]

What kind of pirates?

[Pope Jimbo]

Butte Pirates Football!

[Rasilio]

They don't just want to be sailors, but pirates

[Red Rocks Dickin Bimbos]

You can tell Bowden's been out of the game long enough to not recall that most of these guys were emulating their neighborhood drug dealers, not their mothers.

[straffinrun]

Not mutually exclusive.

[straffinrun]

Reread that and thinking, "Oh, no I didin'".

[EDG reppin LBC]

My Boys https://youtu.be/6E6cIRF2FNk

[Rich]

And that's also why they get tattoos.

[BigT]

Thank God for them mommas, or grandmommas. Or big sister, or aunt. But where's the man?

The government subsidies kicked him out. Duh!

[commodious just wasting time]

Kicked his grandfather out, really. A generation of fatherless sons producing another generation of fatherless sons is all it took to cement the habit of absenteeism into the cultural milieu.

[Crusty Juggler]

Member of U.S. Army honor guard passes out during Barack Obama's farewell ceremony as president says goodbye to the armed services

He was overcome with joy.

[Hamster of Doom]

Not supposed to lock your knees. Kind of surprised he still didn't know that.

[Pope Jimbo]

Yup. For Obama you are supposed to drop to your knees!

[straffinrun]

Russians are hacking our honor guard now?

[Crusty Juggler]

The Menendez Brothers STILL defend the brutal murder of their wealthy parents by claiming that they were sexually and physically abused by the two as they reveal how they married and are at peace in prison

Good for them.

*wears sweater for solidarity*

[Crusty Juggler]

In solidarity? In and for.

[Jerryskids]

Sears has sold Craftsman to Black and Decker.

Craftsman had always been good quality, B+D a POS. Sears has been shopping around Craftsman, I had hoped somebody decent would buy it, or at least maybe some retailer like Snap-On or Fastenall that would be more interested in maintaining the integrity of the name (unlike Home Depot - don't trust the "namebrand" shit from HD, it's probably made in a Mexican factory and the nameplate's the only thing that's the same quality as the stuff that's made like it's been made since 1932 in an American factory.) I think Sears was asking for ~$2b, they settled for less than half that. Sad.

They've also been shopping the Kenmore name, but Kenmore's (AFAIK) always been just a nameplate manufacturer, you can get the same thing from the original manufacturer under their own name.

[WTF]

That's too bad, I always liked Craftsman tools, and B+D really is shit.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

If you listen to Car Talk (or read their Facederp feed), they have been lamenting the downfall of Craftsman for a while. They basically think the stuff made before the 80's was pure gold.

[Ken Shultz]

Craftsman used to be a lot better than it is now--at least that's my impression.

Their lifetime guarantee was a big deal back in the day. Because replacing broken tools was expensive for Sears, they made their tools so they wouldn't break

That seemed to change once production shifted to China. Suddenly replacing tools because cheap. They'd give you a lifetime warranty for free because if your tool broke, it didn't cost them much to replace it.

Anyway, that's been my impression over the years. I had some things break when they didn't before and decided I'd rather spare my knuckles and buy something better than get another chance to slash my hand up for free.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Sportswrite explains why he'll never vote for Curt Schilling into the Hall of Fame

Long story short: Schilling had a HoF career but is guilty of being an obnoxious right-wing jackass on Twitter and that's just unacceptable.

As someone who loves baseball I'm saddened that a legitimately great pitcher is being denied his rightful place due to a grotesque reading of the Character Clause.

[WTF]

Look, if he had good character he wouldn't be a Republican! QED.

[Mantis Toboggan, Jr.]

Maybe this one writer's vote won't be enough to keep him out.

[Crusty Juggler]

Agreed. However, the more public the voting becomes, the less likely it is guys like this pompous, portly putz will be inclined to have this sort of opinion.

[Heroic Mulatto]

His character flaw was pitching for the Red Sox.

[Juvenile Bluster]

I love Schilling from his time with the Phillies. He's probably a fringe HOFer just on career. I wouldn't have voted for him; not because he's not deserving, but because there are 10 more deserving and the HOF has dumb-ass rules about only voting for 10 people. So pissing off the people who'd vote for him probably ain't helping him in that calculation, y'know?

[straffinrun]

His post season performances were out of this world. His business acumen? Not so much.

[Juvenile Bluster]

They were, admittedly. Except Game 1 of the '93 WS dammit.

My fake ballot would be Jeff Bagwell, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Vlad Guererro, Trevor Hoffman, Edgar Martinez, Mike Mussina (give him a slight edge over Schilling), Pudge Rodriguez, Tim Raines, and Larry Walker. Schilling would be 11th and Jeff Kent 12th if I had more votes or if I even had a vote.

[Crusty Juggler]

Trevor Hoffman over Schilling? I am calling for the revocation of your fake vote.

[straffinrun]

Pudge definitely. His defense alone was amazing.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Edgar Martinez

Ugh, I know it isn't fair to hold it against him and he was a hell of a hitter, but I am loathe to put a full-time DH in the Hall of Fame. Just feels wrong.

[Juvenile Bluster]

I would be too... but man, he could hit.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Agree that he's not first or second ballot given competition but I just think it's weird to see articles like that written at a time when voters are simultaneously warming to Bonds and Clemens, guys who did engage in behavior detrimental to the integrity of the game, which is what the Character Clause is intended for. (Note, no that I object to either of them being in the Hall. I think Pete Rose should be too).

[Private Chipperbot]

Jack Morris still isn't in the HoF. No way Schilling should go in ahead of him.

[Rufus The Monocled]

That's why these assholes should not have a vote.

STICK TO THE OBJECTIVE FACTS AND DO YOUR FUCKEN JOB AND SPARE US OF YOUR FAUX SELF-RIGHTEOUS JUSTIFICATION AND PERSONAL OPINION.

God sportswriters can be nauseating; especially ESPN writers.

[Rufus The Monocled]

AND PUT TIM RAINES IN ALREADY.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

The whole defrauding the taxpayers of Rhode Island isn't too nice, either.

[AddictionMyth]

RUSSSIAAAAaaaAAAAAA

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

No one likes you, Alice.

[AddictionMyth]

That never stopped me.

[Drake]

It should.

[AddictionMyth]

Darling Trumpelstiltskins - how many days have I left to guess thy name?

[bossy]

good pic kunjungi website good news obat aborsi manjur

[Free Society]

Shocking moment Chicago teen gang - including two girls - 'kidnap and torture' special-needs man while streaming entire ordeal live on Facebook and screaming racist and anti-Trump remarks

In the first video, the victim was seen cowering in a corner with his arms tied and mouth taped shut.

He was filmed being kicked and punched before he had his hair cut until his scalp bled.

The victim also had his clothes cut and had cigarette ash flicked over the wound on his head.

Someone can be heard in the footage yelling 'f*** Donald Trump. F*** white people' while the two men express their hopes that the video will go viral.

Two more clips of the alleged abuse surfaced overnight as well, one of which shows the group forcing the man to drink water out of a toilet.
[...]
Police arrested all four people shown in the footage and they remain in custody. Three of them are Chicago residents while the fourth is from Carpentersville.

Authorities expect to lay formal charges within the next 24 hours.

Police said it was too soon to make a determination if the attack was racially motivated.

If the race of perps and the victim were reversed, this would be front page news on all outlets and the racial aspect would be considered self-evident even if evidence of it wasn't literally being screamed into the microphone.

[Suthenboy]

Remember all of those blacks that were kidnapped and tortured and taunted by the TEA party after BO won in 2008? Totally racially motivated.

[SugarFree]

"I could certainly never get away with torturing a little nigger retard. :-("

[Free Society]

Pathetic Little Troll, Trolls Again. News at 11.

[SugarFree]

"Boo-hoo-hoo," said Cindy Loo Who.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

Further proof that Trump inspires racial violence!

[straffinrun]

If you're going to have hate crime laws, this one absolutely fits the bill.

[Rhywun]

This isn't the kind of wrongthought that hate-crime laws were cooked up to deal with.

[straffinrun]

TBH, I can't bring myself to even watch the video. Can't imagine many African Americans would object to charging under the hate crime umbrella.

[Rhywun]

Me neither. But the whole concept of "hate crime" is evil and needs to be resisted forcefully.

[Free Society]

That is if you really think "hate crime" was intended to be a consistently and universally applied set of laws. But as we all know, that's not the spirit of the law.

[Suthenboy]

"The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding hearings today on Russian hacking in the U.S. presidential election."

But will completely ignore the Democrats argument:

Hillary lost because people found out the truth and that was not supposed to happen.

It is all a smoke screen and the dolts in congress are falling for it.

[Drake]

Brits butthurt over Real Housewives of ISIS skit.

http://www.pjmedia.com/video/bbcs-rea.....epage=true

[Lord Humungus]

11F outside - if this stays it will be a new record for my garage workout, which was 14F.

[Crusty Juggler]

That's awesome.

[Citizen X]

That is a pretty confusing euphemism.

[Lord Humungus]

confusing pretty much describes my sex life.

[Sevo]

"The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding hearings today on Russian hacking in the U.S. presidential election."

Last week, according to Bloomberg's 'unnamed source', we were to hear 'the details' today so all this he-said-she-said hogwash would go away
Now we get:
"The Director of National Intelligence says he won't discuss details about the Obama administration's comprehensive report on Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election early next week."
http://www.sfgate.com/news/pol.....836983.php

And note it comes from a source who is a known and admitted liar.

[BigT]

They have to compose the details before they can discuss them.

[SFC B]

Anyone mention the beautiful little media breakdown after some conservative reporter asks on Twitter if any national reporter knew someone who owned one of the three best selling vehicles in America?

3 Best Selling Vehicles...

[Rhywun]

I thought the country/city wars were settled by The Beverley Hillbillies but I guess not.

[commodious just wasting time]

Owning a truck means you're never at a loss for friends you didn't know you had.

[Citizen X]

And all of them are moving this weekend.

[SFC B]

A-yup. I had one in college. At least once a week for a couple semesters I was hauling a couch somewhere. Several times it was the same couch.

[Lord Humungus]

from the article: "Among Democrats, the Subaru Outback is the most popular choice. If you drive a truck, you're probably a Republican. If you drive a Subaru, you're probably a Democrat. "

The most conservative fundie guy I know bought a used Subaru Outback for highway/AWD ability. He hates it over his Toyota pickup truck. The subbie has required so much work - headgaskets, catalytic converter, and wheel bearings - compared to the Toyota at 300k miles.

[Heroic Mulatto]

A conservative religious fundamentalist who drives a Toyota truck?

I had no idea that you fraternized with ISIS.

[Citizen X]

+1 TO- and -TA scraped off the tailgate so it just says YO

[commodious just wasting time]

After the confusing sex life comment, I'm not sure it ended at fraternizing.

[Heroic Mulatto]

It's cool. It's the Middle East, so it's not gay if you're on top and/or your partner can't grow facial hair yet.

[Lord Humungus]

don't other me, you SJW-noun-thinga-me-bob

[straffinrun]

Isis Truck?

[commodious just wasting time]

Was it used to blow up your link?

[straffinrun]

Oops. Try again.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Cater to your demographic.

Smart.

[Lord Humungus]

epileptic seizure alert for that second link

[straffinrun]

I cycle to my job and have been freaked out more than once by a Prius silently pulling up right next to me. Prius also looks like it's wearing a full diaper.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Didn't they have to add a fake engine sound, at least in the US, due to lobbying from blind people who basically said "This thing will kill us when we try to cross the street."

[straffinrun]

They do pipe in a fake waterfall sound in the woman's restroom in the restaurants so you can't hear them wiz.

[Crusty Juggler]

🙁

[Citizen X]

SF'd link?

[Illocust]

Jeeze, of all the things to throw a hissy fit over. Getting caught not knowing anybody who owns the most popular cars in america shouldn't be one of them. You live in a bubble, everyone knows it, so it's time to get over it.

[Rhywun]

Yeah, I'm perfectly aware I live in a bubble with the other city folk and I couldn't care less. It is quite likely that the country folk live in a bubble of their own, too.

[Free Society]

Country folk don't have a firm grip on academia, hollywood, music and government bureaucracy. So chances are, a whole lot of lefitsm makes it into their bubble, while the inverse is not exactly true of urban progressives. So I think it's more appropriate to say that the country folk might like to live in their own bubble, but it's extremely implausible to conclude that they aren't continually exposed to the views of their ideological opponents.

[Trshmnstr, Grump Apprentice]

it's extremely implausible to conclude that they aren't continually exposed to the views of their ideological opponents.

This is important to highlight. There is a huge imbalance in how information is shared. Folks in NYC only get exposure to OKC if they go see Oklahoma! or if they watch OU football or Thunder basketball. Folks in OKC see depictions of NYC life and NYC values on almost every TV channel.

[Free Society]

And at least on the surface, there's nothing necessarily wrong with that. But I don't think it's fair to say that New Yorkers are as informed about the values and issues that matter to Oklahomans as the Oklahomans are informed about New Yorkers.

[BigT]

NYC is the most provincial place in the US.

"I'm going to the city this weekend." - ugh!

[Rhywun]

The NYC I see depicted on TV (and reflected in the stereotypes that are common in various internet forums) bears almost no relation to reality for the millions of us who don't fit into those stereotypes.

[Free Society]

The NYC I see depicted on TV (and reflected in the stereotypes that are common in various internet forums) bears almost no relation to reality for the millions of us who don't fit into those stereotypes.

I don't mean to across as flippant here, but where do most nationally syndicated/televised journalists live and/or work? Screenwriters and TV/film producers? Federal bureaucrats (think dept.of educayshun)? Not in Flyoverlandia.

I was watching an episode of Booklyn 99 on Hulu the other day. Trigger warning: That show is terrible. And the characters were sent to Florida to hide out in witness protection. I don't want to rehash it, but let's just say that Florida hates dem gayz, everyone is fat violent white trash and the gun store owner will happily sell fugitives and felons guns and buckets of bullets without a background check if you give him an extra hundred bucks.

[ant1sthenes]

What's funny is when progs complain that accusations of living in a bubble are unfair because conservatives have Fox News or Drudge or whatever. They sound like white people whining about Black History Month. They should check their political privilege.

[commodious just wasting time]

I've said this before to progressive friends: you occasionally brush up against my ideas, but I live in a world saturated by yours.

[Trshmnstr, Grump Apprentice]

I'm stealing that.

[Hamster of Doom]

No kidding. Whoa.

That's a good phrase, Commodious.

[SFC B]

I think my favorite responses were the ones that asked why they'd know anyone who owned a truck because everyone they know lives in the city.

[Lord Humungus]

My neighborhood has very few pickups.

If you were transplanted from from another country to this suburb, you would think that Volvo and the Honda Odyssey were the two most popular car makers in the world.

[CPRM]

An interesting video I watched the other day on why the import tariff on trucks was caused by chickens

[Hamster of Doom]

That... is a fair fucking point.

[Pope Jimbo]

And having Nicollett mall ripped up for the last year can't be helping.

My guess is that downtown Mpls is a hell hole for retail. Who goes there to shop?

I admit that as a rube kid from the prairie I was stunned the first time I went to that store. It was a lot bigger and fancier than the Dayton's in West Acres, Fargo, ND!

[Pope Jimbo]

The problem is that the rudimentary squirrel software that Reason uses just gets them dizzy

[Pope Jimbo]

What we need is more light rail!

Us poor bastards in the NW corner don't get any help!

[Conchfritters]

Nicollett Mall is a cluster. A 2+ year remodel for a few city blocks. I don't think I have seen one person working down there, and I work by there five days a week.

[PurityDiluting]

Isn't Minneapolis trying to ban parking downtown?

[PurityDiluting]

Car talk stopped making new episodes 3 years ago, but can recycle the old ones for another 10 or 20 years.
Brilliant!

[Pope Jimbo]

Not when they own some of the biggest parking structures that are still available.

But a lot of the old cheap lots have been replaced with city subsidized stadiums or city subsidized condos.

So not banning by law, but by development.

[PurityDiluting]

"choo-choo-obsessed proggies "
Yep. A train even cost the local football coach his job

[Pope Jimbo]

Conch, like Tundra says, welcome.

The Nicollet Mall project was quite the deal

It is amazing to me that Minneapolis doesn't bankrupt itself.

[commodious just wasting time]

You can stay, but I'm leaving.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

You could still go into Sears with a broken Craftsman hand-tool and get a replacement.

Which was why they were still a great tool to buy.

If Craftsman doesn't have that guarantee, then it AIN"T Craftsman.

[Xavier T. Sexington]

I live a few blocks south of downtown on Nicollet. I used to go to the Target store because it was fairly clean and they validate parking. Now it's not really any nicer than the one on Lake St. Basically, I'm a four minute bus ride from "all that Downtown has to offer!" and unless I get free Twins/Wolves tickets you couldn't pay be to set foot there.

[Conchfritters]

Give it some time. I loved the recent article on the future of the Minneapolis city council. Left, and lefter.

[Conchfritters]

I live in Blaine. Every time I say the word "Blaine" I think of Molly Ringwald's boyfriend in Pretty in Pink, and Ducky's reaction to it.